News and views

HEART UK’s recent 35th Annual Medical Scientific Meeting blended a face-to-face meeting with virtual attendance to showcase the latest developments within the lipid community. Held at the University of Warwick on 6th–8th July 2022, Dr Andreas Tridimas reports its highlights....

One of the most difficult challenges presented to healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic has been maintaining standards of care in non-COVID related chronic illness. Many members of our heart failure multidisciplinary (MDT) teams were redeployed and, while many have returned to their original positions, the impact of COVID-19 will be felt for years. It was, therefore, particularly poignant that in its 25th year, the British Society of Heart Failure (BSH) hosted a two-day immersive programme focusing on the heart failure MDT. Held at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in Glasgow, on 12th May 2022, the meeting gave heart failure enthusiasts the opportunity to ‘reconnect in the real world’. Dr Tiffany Kemp reports on the highlights of the meeting....

We are delighted to announce that the British Journal of Cardiology (BJC) has been accepted onto the prestigious international digital archive PubMed Central® after meeting the rigorous scientific and technical standards it requires....

Age proof Author: Rose Anne Kenny Publisher: Lagom, London 2022 ISBN: 978 1 7887 0504 2 Price: £20 ...

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an increasingly recognised form of heart failure that has been described as an emerging epidemic. It presents many challenges to patients, healthcare services, and population health. The British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) HFpEF working group has produced this statement with the aims of increasing awareness of this syndrome, highlighting areas of uncertainty, and to promote discussion regarding measures that can support effective HFpEF diagnosis and care....

Obstructive sleep apnoea and atrial fibrillation: a key omission in guidelines Dear Sirs, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for atrial fibrillation (AF) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) lack recommendations for the subset of patients with both conditions. There is growing evidence of a bidirectional association between AF and OSA, which we believe is not highlighted in current NICE guidelines. The ORBIT-AF (Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation) cohort study highlighted that about one in five patients with AF also had OSA.1 For this group of patients, screening, diagnosis and treatment are crucial....

A personal tribute I was deeply saddened by the news that Dr Derek Gibson had passed away. I have lost a teacher, a friend, an adviser and a father figure, for whom I had the highest respect....

Dear Sirs, Implantation of cardiac devices is increasing at a tremendous rate. Rate of implantation of permanent pacemakers (PPM) alone is rising at a rate of 4.7% per decade.1 Implantation of these devices can transiently affect driving ability and, therefore, require temporary driving restrictions. It is a responsibility of the healthcare professionals to inform their patients of these restrictions to improve the safety of the patient and general public.2,3...

This year’s 24th British Society for Heart Failure annual meeting successfully brought together experts in heart failure from all over the UK as well as keynote speaker and the Philip Poole-Wilson Memorial lecturer, Professor Milton Packer from the USA. This hybrid meeting, held in London in December 2021 at Queen Elizabeth II Exhibition Centre, welcomed a hugely diverse faculty including prominent figures in heart failure as well as key opinion leaders from the multidisciplinary heart failure team including nurses, cardiologists, pharmacists, elderly care physicians and patients living with heart failure. In contrast to many cardiovascular meetings, 44% of the British Society for Heart Failure (BSH) faculty were women. Dr Sarah Maria Birkhoelzer reports its highlights....

Reflecting the times, HEART UK held its 34th Annual Medical and Scientific Conference virtually this year with sessions taking place over a number of days in July. Covering the latest developments within the lipid community, this year’s conference had a particular focus on how to reduce uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), including taking a look at current NHS initiatives working to speed up FH identification. In addition, the importance of lipoprotein (a) was revisited, including early data on some promising therapeutics to target this molecule. Dr Andreas Tridimas reports the highlights from the virtual meeting....